This invention relates generally to feeding systems for caged animals such as poultry. More particularly, it concerns a feeding system in which feed is intermixed during delivery and during conveyance for consumption, so as to encourage the delivery of substantially equal amounts and kinds of feeds to each row of confinement cages.
Modern poultry operations use sophisticated equipment for maintaining large flocks of birds inside poultry houses of extended size. In layer or egg producing operations, it is helpful to maintain the birds inside cages so that food and water can be delivered to the poultry economically and in accurately rationed amounts. In addition, eggs can be economically collected from the caged laying flocks by specialized egg-handling devices. These cages can be constructed and erected so as to take the form of a stepped-back pyramidal array, as explained in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,055.
Other cage array designs can be used. When the birds are properly cared for, high flock performance levels can be reached: that is, maximized numbers of eggs can be obtained from the laying hens from minimized amounts of food and water.
The mechanized delivery of feed is usually accomplished by a feed conveyor system having a series of conduits within which are located feed driver elements. These conduits can take the form of closed tube sections of extended length, or they can take the form of troughs located adjacent the poultry cages. In these troughs, feed driver elements are carried within open tube-like structures in the troughs, usually at the trough side or bottom. When feed is delivered to the tubes and the driver elements are actuated, feed is conveyed down the tubes by the driver elements to various feed delivery locations.
Some such systems use a helical spring element of extended length as a driver element. When the helical driver element is rotated, feed is moved along the conduit with an auger motion, but the driver element is not extensively axially displaced. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,918,405 and 3,893,423, and elsewhere.
In other forms of feed conveying devices, a feed driver element is physically displaced--that is, pushed or pulled--through the conduits by a power means. This driver element can take the form of a helical spring, in the manner illustrated in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 354,233 filed Mar. 3, 1982, or in U.S. Pat. No. 3,003,464. Alternatively, the driver element can take the form of a flexible, multi-link chain, one such device being shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,681,639 to Littlefield. This multi-link chain can, of course, take a number of forms alternate to the embodiment shown in that patent.
As suggested above, feed rations which are accurate in quantity and in quality must be repeatedly delivered to each poultry-containing cage. It is usually desirable that each cage receive a certain amount of each constituent in the feed mix, and that the amounts of each constituent not vary excessively throughout the delivered rations. Consequently, a feed conveyor system must be able to make accurately quantified deliveries of thoroughly commingled feed mixtures on a reliable basis. In addition, the conveyor system itself must be capable of being manufactured, offered and operated at a commercially attractive price.
It is accordingly the general object of the present invention to provide a feed system for caged poultry and the like in which feed is transferred and intermixed among various parts of the system during feed movement and feed delivery operations. In this way, proper amounts of each constituent in the feed mix are offered to the consuming poultry. A related object is to provide a feed system which encourages each bird in the flock to eat a balanced diet of the offered feed.
Another object is to provide such a feed system in which power is economically applied to the feed-driving of feed-moving elements at several locations throughout the system. In this way, good system performance is encouraged.
Still another object is to provide a mechanism for feeding poultry and like caged animals which discourages the fowl from playing with the feed during feed delivery, and which discourages the fowl from raking the feed during consumption periods.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts.